Blue Moon

We would have one helluva song writer

Back You are here: Home NEWS & OPINION ARTICLES FANS Anti-Rangers Bigotry Clear For All To See In 21st Century Scotland Anti-Rangers Bigotry Clear For All To See In 21st Century Scotland Details Published on Thursday, 02 August 2012 04:55 Written by JCS Willie Vass © Well then, hasnâ??t Charles Green rattled a few cages! Imagine, the Chief Executive of Rangers Football Club having the audacity to state publicly that perhaps some of the punishment Rangers has received may have been motivated by bigotry - how awful, how utterly shocking! "Some of it has been driven by bigotry, some of its been driven by jealousy and some of its been driven by all the wrong motives," he said. Note, by the way, that Charles Green said, â??driven by bigotryâ??, not driven by religious bigotry. I simply make the point to correct the rather sinister â??errorâ?? made by Ewing Grahame in his intemperate and puerile article in The Telegraph criticising Charles Greenâ??s statement . But what a revelation â?? what a real shocker! Bigotry in Scottish football â?? God forbid! Tut, tut, I hear you say; surely only Rangers can be accused of thatâ?¦.thatâ?¦.wordâ?¦.that deed. Other clubs donâ??t indulge in that kind of behaviour â?? do they? Well, yes they do actually and never has it been more pronounced â?? more hate-filled and vitriolic â?? than in recent weeks and, particularly since the SPL voted to exclude Rangers from the SPL. â??No h*** in the SPL next season as about 6 teams has already said no to the newco!â?, enthused a rabid (and near illiterate) Celtic supporter on his Facebook page, whilst another on Talk Celtic.net couldnâ??t contain his delight with this thoughtful comment, â??get it right up yees ya bunch a dirty scummy inbred h** bastards", and an embittered fan on Twitter posted, â??Surely no h*** in SPL would give the Glasgow cup a nice wee boost and provide the h*** with another chance to play the big teamsâ?. I almost lost the will to live, when I visited Kerrydale Street and the Huddle Board â?? the hatred and bigotry is almost palpable so much so that I simply couldnâ??t stomach it! But these are only â??snapshotsâ?? of the thousands of sickening comments posted by Celtic fans from all around the globe who are, no doubt, representative of those who rushed to contact Peter Lawwell in advance of the SPL Rangers vote with their pernicious and perverted views. â??h***â? â?? thereâ??s that word again. Did I not hear somewhere that the â??h**â?? word is sectarian? Nil By Mouth certainly think so as they describe it as such on their website â?? â??Offensive sectarian language is still used in Scotland on a daily basis, with abusive terms such as â??h**â? and â??Orange bastardâ? being used negatively against Protestantsâ?. But, not surprisingly, others disagree. They argue that the word â??h**â?? is not inherently sectarian; although they concede there is no doubt the word CAN have sectarian connotations in Scotland where â??there are certainly plenty of bigots infesting Scottish football groundsâ?. But it would be quite wrong to point the accusing finger wholly at Celtic fans simply because they are more vociferous, outspoken and demonstrative in their hatred of our club than their SPL counterparts; the fans of other SPL club can be every bit as pernicious and vitriolic in their hatred of Rangers. For instance, the official Aberdeen FC Forum currently carries a thread entitled, â??h** Oblivion 5â?, where contributors are invited to post statements such as, â??Exterminate them (Rangers) pleaseâ?, whilst the Dundee United Mad website includes a thread proudly announcing, â??Hatred of the h***â? carrying numerous posts referring to â??h** bast**dsâ?. Nor do the members of HiBees Bounce miss an opportunity to spew their bile with statements ranging from the milder, â??I seriously doubt the h*** will be in any league next seasonâ? to the more extreme (if slightly optimistic), â??you just know the dirty bassa's will get round thisâ?. I came across many, many similar comments made by St Mirren, Kilmarnock and Motherwell fans, and those of other SPL clubs, and itâ??s abundantly clear their hatred for Rangers Football Club is deeply ingrained and, in many instances knows no bounds. However, it would be remiss of me if I did not acknowledge that many contributors on these sites clearly loath and despise bigotry and sectarianism in all its many forms and did not hesitate to say so openly and forthrightly much to their credit. However, the extent and scope of the comments, and the constant use of the word h***, makes it impossible not to conclude that there is a deep seated bigotry in the attitude of other clubs and their supporters to Rangers, and given that all of the SPL chairmen willingly choose to rely entirely upon their supporters to decide their respective clubs policy on the Rangers newco application, then it was inevitable that such views would be reflected in their decisions to punish Rangers. Why people should be surprised that Charles Green â?? an Englishman, and a relative â??outsiderâ?? - should conclude that much of the punishment heaped upon us, â??has been driven by bigotryâ? is surprising given that the Scottish football authorities have lived in the shadows of bigotry and sectarianism for years. This is not a new phenomenon â?? itâ??s been with us for countless decades. It is simply dishonest and disingenuous to assert that the SFA and the SPL have not been significantly influenced by its member clubs. Are we to believe that Peter Lawwell, Rod Petrie, Stephen Thompson et al did not unduly influence Stewart Regan and Neil Doncaster during the many and lengthy discussions they had together in recent months? Did they not faithfully reiterate the views of their fans who were so strident about Rangers - so much so that they were prepared to see their own clubs â??go to the wall? No, I donâ??t believe it, and nor do you. When Stewart Regan slams Charles Green, for what he euphemistically calls, his â??undignified and irresponsible attacks on himâ?, perhaps he should consider carefully the backcloth of bigotry and hatred that has pervaded Scottish football for countless years, and ask himself if his behaviour in recent months (and that of his erstwhile colleague Neil Doncaster) has not significantly contributed to the atmosphere of mutual recrimination and distrust that permeates every strata of Scottish football now. I do not seek to diminish the part that my club has played in creating that atmosphere over the years, but please donâ??t insult me or the Rangers family by continuing to perpetuate the myth that you and your colleagues are not influenced by the malign forces that have so blatantly and ruthlessly sought the demise of our club at every twist and turn over the past number of months. Stewart Regan and Neil Doncaster would do well to heed the current Scotzine poll which asks the question, â??Are Regan and Doncaster fit for purpose?â? Of the 1,012 votes cast so far, 954 â?? over 94% - have resoundingly answered NO, with a massive 689 of those calling for both to be sacked. Only a few hardy souls have seen fit to give them a vote of confidence. â?¢Sack them! (68%, 689 Votes) â?¢No - Both aren't! (26%, 265 Votes) â?¢Yes - Both are! (3%, 29 Votes) â?¢Yes - Regan only (1%, 12 Votes) â?¢Maybe (1%, 10 Votes) â?¢Yes - Doncaster only (1%, 7 Votes This is not a poll of Rangers fans â?? Scotzine can hardly be considered a supporter of the Rangers cause â?? it is the statement of disenchanted and disgruntled Scottish football fans. Regan and Doncaster would do well to take note.

Chris Graham has just posted on Twitter that RC's listening figues are down 25% on last year. I wonder why?

They will cut it off.

You are right of course. I was thinking of journalists when I wrote that and surely they will stop now and probably move on en masse to New Rangers.

Time will tell.

I don't know, not very good with statistics. I just didn't enjoy it, the football was woeful to watch a lot of the time.

I love Walter but I did stop going 3 years ago after going from the 60's because I was so fed up with the negative football. Felt worse when Alex McLeish was manager but stuck it out.

So do I and it is really winding them up.

Touche, GS. On a serious note, I would not want him at the club in any official capacity.

Thought you might find this amusing. The tale of the inexplicable signing policy Posted by Guest Writer What is going on at The Rangers FC now? Third Division football beckons yet the club is still signing players from the SPL. Commercially, this makes very little sense states Colin D. Young. The club must already cost significantly more to operate than it can deliver in matchday revenues and sponsorship, therefore the question arises of where Charles Greenâ??s remarkable consortium are finding the cash to finance SPL players playing in the depths of the third division. Perhaps, just perhaps, their business model is based around winning the cups? This could be feasible with an SPL level squad, but would even the limited revenues from winning the Ramsdens Cup, or even the Scottish Cup, be enough to offset the wages of the likes of Lee McCulloch? And what of the players? Can anyone really tell me that Lee Wallace, Lee McCulloch, Dorin Goian or the rest of their ilk couldnâ??t stroll into contracts in the SPL and play competitive football? Are these players content with the sporting challenge of competing against such luminaries of the third division as young Kyle Gillespie of East Stirlingshire, or Clydeâ??s Stefan McCluskey? Perhaps they are? After all, none of the current The Rangers FC squad are internationals are they? Oops, it appears that some of them areâ?¦.well, probably not for long unless they move to a competitive club or competition. Iâ??ve got to be absolutely honest with everyone who reads this and state that if someone wanted to pay me SPL wages to go and kick a ball around Glebe Park on a Saturday afternoon, Iâ??d probably jump at the chance too. This smacks of money over sporting integrity, to drag up that old phrase that seems to have gone away since Rangers descended into the Third. Dean Shiels is one player who has personally turned my stomach. He walks away from a contract with his own father at Kilmarnock â?? an SPL side, of all things â?? and goes to The Rangers FC to play against part-timers, veterans at the end of their career and young boys who arenâ??t good enough to compete at a higher level. Such are the actions of a mercenary. I apologise to Third Division players for any offence that the above comments may have caused. It is so very disappointing to see Rangers taking this approach. The opportunity was, and still is, there for them to raise their own youngsters through the ranks and give them experience in preparation for their SPL return â?? if the SPL even exists by then. Which brings me nicely to the possible conspiracy theory, namely, perhaps the death of the SPL is so imminent that it has already been agreed. Charles Green already KNOWS that there will be a new league formed, one way or another, in the near future and that The Rangers FC will be invited to play. Why else would he invest so heavily in SPL level playing staff to â??competeâ? in the Third Division? It wouldnâ??t be the first time that secret handshakes have been exchanged behind closed doors to decide on the direction of Scottish Football. Motherwell, St. Johnstone and Dundee United could certainly have benefitted from players like McCulloch, or even Shiels, for their respective challenges in Europe. Sadly, these clubs are faced with a massive challenge (or have failed already) to proceed in Europe â?? but donâ??t worry, Rangers third division players are still apparently content that they are getting â??competitionâ?. Well, nobody in the SPL would pay a 34-year-old the same wages that Rangers would pay him, so I guess Lee McCulloch has a valid excuse â?? doesnâ??t he?

I hope not after his holocaust reference.

I take it that was tongue in cheek, Foggy?

GIOVANNI DI STEFANO‏@DEVILSADVOKAT I have at 14.59 today received confirmation from the SFA regarding the membership of Sevco for admittance to the League. I am SATISFIED... that NO TITLES will be stripped from Rangers Football Club and that as a consequence I will NOT contest in court the conditions precedent to SFA membership which will now occur "on or BEFORE 3 August 2012" and that the sanctions imposed are whilst unpalatable but understandableThe question now is regarding the allocation of the RFC SPL share to Dundee FC to which I will be writing to the SFA the basis upon which as a shareholder I will raise no objections if however, the conditions requested by me are not met I will have no choice but to seek an injunction but the conditions will be evident and contained in my letter. I am satisfied that in the membership matter Mr Regan has answered and dealt with my letter last Friday to my satisfaction and to the interests of both Sevco and RFC PLC of which RFC PLC I am a shareholder

Apologies everyone. I went right off topic there again!

Couldn't argue with any of that. Smacks of desperation from them. Don't think the Lennon factor has helped either.

Last I heard this morning a couple of clubs down south were interested in him.

It was an open secret that they used to underestimate their crowd to escape tax. We used to slag them about it but that was before relations between us nose dived. There is no such a thing now as friendly banter and the rivalry is very bitter. Where did things go wrong?

Agree with both of your points. We can expect new songs and chants and they will be around for a while. Best to ignore and sing our songs about our club's history.

Pleased with that signing. We could be doing with a bit more creativity. Think he will be a good player for us. Good on him wanting to come to SFL3.

I think time will show that we lost the battle but will win the war!

Yesss. No more Sevco comments.

"WE have achieved a victory that will make history"......Get that in your dossier CG. What kind of a statement is that?

Moving from Ibrox is a non starter from me. It is a huge part of our identity.

I am just glad to get that one out of the way. As it got nearer to kick off I began to think about the possibility of losing this one. I was imagining the headlines if that had happened. I think it is inevitable that the players confidence is fragile at the moment and confidence is every bit as important as physical fitness. I think the loss of what was a really sloppy goal put us under unnecessary pressure, after dominating the first half, and we never really recovered after that. I would expect us to defend much better than that in the future.